Lakshya Sen wins Australian Open, beats Yushi Tanaka in a one-sided affair in final

Lakshya Sen scripts history as he beat Japan's Yushi Tanaka to win the Australian Open Super 500 badminton tournament on November 23. Sen beat Tanaka in straight games 21-15, 21-11 to win his first title of the year 2025.

The 24-year-old made short work of Tanaka, finishing the contest in just 38 minutes.

Tanaka had won two Super 300 titles this year. He won at the Orleans Masters and the US Open.

Sen became only the second Indian to win a BWF World Tour title this season. Earlier, Ayush Shetty won the Super 300 at the US Open.

The shuttler from Almora, Uttarakhand, won USD 35,625 (Rs 31,93,000 approximately) as prize money.

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Unforced errors hurt Tanaka

Lakshya did not waste much time to get a substantial lead. Tanaka made unforced errors. The longest rally of the game was of 35 shots. Sen outlasted Tanaka as the latter hit the net.

Tanaka reduced the deficit to just two points as his smashes were too good for Sen to return. But, the Japanese shuttler erred again to give Sen advantage.

After the break, Sen was brilliant with his exchanges at the net. Tanaka made a comeback but Sen managed a four-point lead. He had five game points and won the first game 21-15.

In the second game, Tanaka lacked intensity. High on confidence, Sen took an 8-4 lead as the Japanese was desperate to attack. Sen headed into mid-game interval with an exemplary smash, taking a 10-5 lead.

Tanaka got nowhere near Sen as the lead only got bigger. The duel at the net went in Sen's favour. With a cross-court return, Sen ended his title drought winning the second game 21-11.

Lakshya Sen continues the habit of at least one title per year

Sen continued his streak of winning at least one title every year. In 2022, he won the India Open. In 2023, he won the Canada Open. In 2024, he won the Syed Modi International.

The semifinal that set the tone for Lakshya Sen

Earlier, he reached the final after defeating second seed and world no.6 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei 17-21, 24-22 and 21-16 to reach the final. The closely-fought contest lasted 86 minutes.